Quantica has announced its NovoJet OPEN 3D printing systems will be supported by Additive Appearance’s MultiSlice build management and slicing software.
Additive Appearance is a Charles University spin-off company and has developed the MultiSlice software to address the challenge of combining multiple materials in 3D printing. It has been designed to predict the appearance and function of a 3D model with a high level of accuracy by leaning on advanced algorithms.
The software, which is said to provide a ‘straightforward pathway’ to accurately manufacture multi-material end products, will be introduced with the first NovoJet OPEN systems released in Q1 2024. Working together, Quantica and Additive Appearance plan to develop the technology in multiple iterations towards different levels of sophistication with regards to the control of physical properties on a voxel level. This will include mechanical properties, such as flexibility and conductivity, as well as appearance properties like colour.
“Both our companies, embodying the agility of startups, are uniting to redefine the potential of 3D material jetting,” commented Quantica Head of Product Management Grace Chang. “In a landscape where functional, multi-material 3D printing lacks adequate software, we are excited to collaborate with a team that is leveraging modern approaches to developing complex software. Our collaborative goal is to leverage these advancements, making functional, multi-material 3D printing more accessible, efficient, and adaptable.”
“With the trend in 3D printing going to more and more printheads, existing software is starting to limit the hardware’s potential,” added Tobias Rittig, Ph.D., Additive Appearance’s Chief Technology Officer. “The problem of which material to put in which voxel is getting increasingly difficult. This is why a radically new approach based on cutting-edge research and modern software technologies, such as differentiable computation and machine learning, is required to drive the printers of the future. We both share this realization and are looking to create a synergy of software and hardware that unlocks many new possibilities in the material-jetting domain.”
Quantica unveiled the final NovoJet OPEN multi-material 3D printer design at the recent Formnext event and announced a beta programme, with shipping scheduled to commence in early 2024. Earlier this year, the company closed a 14m EUR Series A funding round, and also announced that Xaar would manufacture its NovoJet printheads after an exclusive partnership was agreed.
